1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of apparatus which are used to connect a multiplicity of wires together and retain them within a container having waterproof material therein. The present invention further relates to the field of containers for housing and retaining in the ground a multiplicity of wires which have been connected together and are embedded in a waterproof medium. Such connections are required for apparatus such as electrical watering systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The concept addressed by this invention and by related prior art inventions is to provide a container having a waterproof medium therein to safely house and retain electrical conductors at the location where the insulation on the conductors has been stripped away so that a multiplicity of such conductors can be connected together such as by twisting them together with a conventional connector. The following prior art patents address this problem in different ways:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,473 issued to Fox et al. on June 13, 1989 for "Waterproof Electrical Splice Enclosure".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,543 issued to Thompson et al. for "Encapsulated Splice Assembly And Method".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,704 issued to Smith for "Plug And Kit of Parts Including Same For Use In Forming A Moisture-Proof Cable Splice Enclosure".
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,742 issued to Smith on Aug. 2, 1977 for "Waterproof Cable Splice Enclosure Kit".
5. U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,528 issued to Penfield et al. for "Electrical Connector For Insulating An Electrical Wire Joint".
6. U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,275 issued to Gillemot et al. for "Kit And Method For Encapsulating Conductor Splice Connections".
7. U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,607 issued to Gillemot et al. in 1970 for "Service Wire Encapsulating Kit".
8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,232 issued to Hunter on Aug. 16, 1988 for "Method of Protecting a Cable Splice With a Splice Closure Having Pressure Measuring Means".
9. U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,461 issued to Thompson et al. on Dec. 25, 1973 for "Cable Splice Assembly And Method".
10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,227 issued to Meador on Nov. 8, 1988 for "System And Method For Sealing A Buried Cable Splice".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,473 discloses an electrical splice enclosure which includes a one-piece assembly having a body and an affixed cap which houses a multiplicity of wires tightened together with a wire nut inside a waterproof medium. Incorporated within the cap is a bulbous protrusion which presses the wires against the wall of the container to thereby retain them in the medium. While this represents one type of acceptable splice enclosure, one problem with this system is that the bulbous protrusion which substantially presses the wires against the wall of the container to retain them may press too tightly against the wire and cause it to break, thereby severing the connection. In addition, if it is necessary to pull on the wire, the bulbous protrusion permits no play on the wire and the entire capsule may be pulled out of the ground. Since there is no give due to the press fit of the bulbous protrusion against the container wall, a sharp tug on one of the connected wires may in addition to pulling the entire container out of the ground cause the wires to become disconnected.
The patents set forth above in numbers 2 through 7 were cited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,473 and represent various other splice assemblies which are cumbersome to install and are not as efficient as the invention in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,473.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,227 issued to Meador shows a system and method for sealing a buried cable splice which employs a settable sealing liquid around splice 47. The cables are held in place by a split bolt clamp such as 48. Therefore, that is the method by which the cables are held within the container. The cap itself is merely a form-fitting cap with openings to accommodate the cable therethrough and simply slides over the outside of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,461 issued to Thompson et al. relates to a cable splice assembly and method employing a water repellant gel 65.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,232 to Hunter discloses a cable splicing method employing a curable liquid sealant.
Therefore, there is a significant need for an assembly which efficiently retains a multiplicity of wires in a waterproof medium within a housing and which at the same time permits the wires to be moved a little for adjustment without causing the container to be pulled out of the ground, without pinching the wires to possibly sever one, and which at the same time assures that the wires will remain in the waterproof medium when they are pulled.